sbtomberlin
Guest
Just a heads up to all of you newly certified coders out there like myself who are having a very difficult time finding employment, you should really consider interning! I originally posted about it here. Like most people, I was really concerned about how I was going to pay my bills if I chose to do this but couldn't really find any other way to get my foot in the door. I'm so glad that I tried this now though, it couldn't have worked out better! This is probably an extreme example, most places won't hire you on right off the bat, but even if you can just spare a few hours a week to intern you can get the experience you need and prove your work skills to the employer.
I asked about interning at two different hospitals - the one in my hometown totally blew me off, but the bigger hospital in the town next to me was very interested as they've been swamped lately and had two of their most experienced coders leave within the last few months. I met with the head of medical records twice and she seemed impressed with my knowledge and enthusiasm. I made sure to call back at least once a week to make sure she didn't forget about me. After getting the ok from HR she finally signed me on as an intern even though it wasn't something that hospital normally did. I went through student orientation early Thursday morning and went straight to work filing clinicals after that. I ate lunch with some of the other coders and by the time I came back I had a job offer! Apparently the lead coder finally convinced her to go ahead and bring me on the team.
I've been interning since then while waiting for my background check and everything to go through...it should be official by tomorrow! Just goes to show that you never know what's going to happen until you try. Thanks to everyone for the advice, especially Angie for suggesting that I check with the local hospitals. I'm so excited
I asked about interning at two different hospitals - the one in my hometown totally blew me off, but the bigger hospital in the town next to me was very interested as they've been swamped lately and had two of their most experienced coders leave within the last few months. I met with the head of medical records twice and she seemed impressed with my knowledge and enthusiasm. I made sure to call back at least once a week to make sure she didn't forget about me. After getting the ok from HR she finally signed me on as an intern even though it wasn't something that hospital normally did. I went through student orientation early Thursday morning and went straight to work filing clinicals after that. I ate lunch with some of the other coders and by the time I came back I had a job offer! Apparently the lead coder finally convinced her to go ahead and bring me on the team.
I've been interning since then while waiting for my background check and everything to go through...it should be official by tomorrow! Just goes to show that you never know what's going to happen until you try. Thanks to everyone for the advice, especially Angie for suggesting that I check with the local hospitals. I'm so excited